the songbirds are singing like never before
by Arianna4President
Summary: Set after Son, even if I published it here because there's no other category :P Claire/Einar. Read and review!


**To everyone who opened this story: _Hi!_**

**I know _The Giver_ and its sequels are not exactly popular (there is not even a category for them!) but I wanted to write this anyway, because I felt extremely sad that Einar and Claire never saw each other again. So this is my take on what happens after _Son_ (:**

**Please, I know it's embarrassing you beg, but please,_ review_. Whether you liked it or not.**

**If you happened to run into this page by chance and you have no idea of what this is about, would you read and review as well? I feel like as if there's nothing sadder than a story without reviews :P**

**Thank you for your time and enjoy! **

* * *

When Einar woke up that morning, he swore he felt different.

He couldn't exactly pinpoint where the difference came from - it was just _there_.

He lay in bed for a few more seconds, telling himself it was probably nothing, but the feeling didn't vanish. Einar sighed and clumsily looked for the cane on the side of his bed. He got up slowly, as he did every morning, and when he was finally up steady he barely held a scream.

There, where for years had been nothing but a stump, now stood a foot - _his_ foot - perfect and healthy and whole.

He realized he must have been dreaming. It wouldn't be the first time after all - images of him walking and running with Claire by his side had been rather common in his sleep since she left, 5 years earlier.

But no, it wasn't a dream.

It was real.

Einar slowly lifted his foot and wiggled his toes, finding no difficult in it. When he realized he was able to make steps without his cane he couldn't help but let out a scream of joy. And he finally laughed out loud when he felt the wind on his face as he ran out of his house. He knew he shouldn't strive, but he couldn't help but speed up as he ran up and down the hill. When he had to stop, it was due to his poorly trained body more than his foot hurting.

He spent all day running.

He ignored the sheep, the housekeeping, the mealtimes and kept running until he was freezing, his legs hurt and his lungs looked as if they were about to explode. The news that Lame Einar had gotten his foot back went around the village in less than a hour, and soon he found the streets crowded with people screaming _miracle, miracle!_ as he passed by.

But Einar didn't care about the people. The only important thing in that moment was the feeling of freedom, and the power he now had to do what he's always wanted.

It was time to go look for Water Claire.

**oOoOoOoOoOo**

Einar remembered the moment she left like it was yesterday. The sky was dark and he could barely see her, but he recognized her features lightened by the moonlight; her long legs, her tiny waists and her long and curly hair moving in the morning wind.

He remembered how he pulled her close and finally kissed her after years and years of dreaming how her lips would feel pressed against his. And it didn't disappoint. Einar had already kissed a few other girls - before the accident, of course - but nothing compared to the softness of Claire's lips, to how his heart quickened and his mind went completely blank as she kissed him back.

He also remembered the feeling of loss when she disappeared, a kind of loss he had never felt before.

Sure, he had been lonely in his youth, but he hadn't really minded. He would have been perfectly fine with living in the shame and taking care of his sheep for the rest of his days, until Claire had come along. She had brought him back to life, a life he didn't imagine could still be wonderful and filled with joy. She was the one who knew, trusted and understood him more than anyone else ever did. She was the one who saw him cry and the one who made him smile and laugh for the first time after his accident. Every time he saw her he swore he could hear all the birds singing in unison.

The birds hadn't sung in 5 years, at least for him, and it was time to change that. He knew it would take a long time - maybe even years - to train again, and he knew he was about to leave the only place he ever knew and everything he owned, but she was worth it. She was worth every wound, every cut, every distortion he got while running to train for the climb.

The whole village understood almost immediately what Einar wanted to do, and they whispered to each other as he ran by.

_'He wants to find that girl, Alys' daughter'_

_'What was her name, again?'_

_'Claire, Water Claire'_

_'Foolish of him to climb out again'_

Most of the villagers didn't understand, but he didn't blame them for that. They had their happy lives there and they had never even _dreamed_ about leaving, let alone actually trying.

But the three little girls - well, not girls anymore, they were women now - Bethan, Delwyth and Eira sometimes helped him train and Bryn always smiled at him when he passed by. Alys would have approved as well of Einar's choice of leaving, if she had not died a few years before.

He trained and trained and trained for what it looked like forever to him, but it was only a year at most. When he found himself in front of the rock wall he wasn't entirely sure he was ready, but he couldn't wait any longer. He repeated once again in his mind the route he had to follow, took a deep breath and started to climb.

The climb itself was easier than he remembered, maybe because he had already done it before, maybe because - as he once told Claire - it was different knowing he was looking for someone loved instead of leaving what he hated. Nonetheless, he risked falling a few times and when he arrived at the top in the middle of the night, he could feel his heart pounding out of his chest.

What if Trademaster was still there?

Einar had thought it over a few times, and came to the conclusion that if he got his foot back, then Trademaster would be gone, but the fear was still there.

He fell into a restless sleep, and he was able to calm down only the morning when he realized that no one would show up. He ate a slice of cheese - made with the latest sheep he had sold - and took a look around.

Where to go?

He decided to climb down the mountain he was on and head towards what looked like a village at the bottom of the valley, estimating he would get there in a few days. He hoped Claire would be there. If not, he would go to another village and look for her there, and so on until he either found her or drew his last breath.

When people asked him about it years later, Einar always said he didn't remember much of the trip. He recalled a deep, dark wooden forest, a rainstorm that caused him to stop for a few days and a long, turbulent river with no bridge.

When he found himself in front of the water, terror took over him. It reminded him too much of his father, and he stood there paralyzed for a second, not knowing what to do. But the lights of a village shone on the other side and he knew, he _felt_ Claire would be there. He walked along the river bend to find a particularly quiet spot, then took a deep breath and dove.

The current immediately took over and for a moment he was sure he was about to die. But the thought of Claire on the other side of the river, beautiful as always, was enough to make him move against the flow. He swam with all the force he could muster and after what looked like ages, he arrived on the other side. He walked slowly to the city lights, wondering if he was about to be welcomed or killed by sight, but decided it was worth the risk. He hadn't made all this journey for nothing.

When he finally arrived at the door village he found a young man - maybe a few years younger than him - who was supposed to be guarding but was actually reading a book without a care in the world.

Einar supposed there mustn't have been many attacks there, and he was immediately revealed.

When the man noticed him - drenched and probably all dirty - he closed the book shut and asked " Did you actually _swam_ through the river? "

" I did " Einar nodded.

" Well, welcome " the other man said " My name is Jonas and in this village we are ready to welcome anyone who needs shelter "

" I am not looking for a shelter " he said quickly " I am looking for someone. Her name's Claire "

Jonas eyed him carefully, then looked at his foot, the one that had been damaged, as if he knew something bad had happened to it.

Einar looked down as well and was about to explain his story when the man interrupted him " You're Einar, aren't you? "

Einar felt as if his heart lifted. If Jonas knew about him, then someone must have told him, and that someone could only be Claire " Is she here? " he asked, his voice broken with emotion.

Jonas nodded and invited him inside the village with a sign of his head. The two man stopped quickly at Jonas' house so he could lend Einar something to change into - even if he had insisted he was perfectly fine - then they headed towards the end of the village, where the small cottages were. He could feel his heart getting louder and louder step after step. What if Claire had found someone else? What if she had married and had other kids?

But all his fears dissipated when he saw her leaving her house with a boy next to her - he must have been her son, they looked so alike - beautiful as always. She beamed when she turned around and saw him, and he swore in that moment all the birds were singing in unison again.

* * *

**Review, will you?**

**Please.**

**Or I'll be unhappy forever knowing I'm the only Einar/Claire shipper :P**


End file.
